Native Plants

Paintbrush wildflowers have a secret: They steal nutrients from neighboring plants. But these “vampire plants” may actually help their plant communities thrive.

Ancient agave plants are helping researchers uncover clues about the people who lived in the Southwest more than 1,000 years ago.

Fremont cottonwoods form a ribbon of green along Arizona’s rivers and streams. They have heart-shaped leaves which turn golden in fall and fluffy, cotton-like seeds.